The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1887-06-04
The New Madrid Earthquake.

Wonuertui phenomenon. numD0lt
obviously esteemed 1t TO be one of
the most interesting, curious and
memorable events In the physical
history of our globe. The central
THAT is the most violentl point of
that earth breaking commotion
must have been at ReeIfeel Lake
and not at New Madrid precisely.
And no earthquake of the globe
has left behind it such a signal
proof of its vast power as it now
stands fixed in this lake, which
was then made, perhaps, within
five minutes 1t extends from
the northern part of Dyer county,
throught Obion county, Tenn, in.
to Fulton county, KY, about forty
miles in length, and five to ten
miles in width. 1t is of unknown
depth, but is probably 200 or more
feet in depth, for the tallest trees
of region famous for Its tall and
large trees, stand with their tops
fifty or sixty feet below the sur.
face of the water. Neither at
Lisbon, where the shock simul.
taneously pervaded 700, square
miles, or the twelfth part of the
whole globe; and where $4,000 in
habitants were destroyed at once
"A. ID. 1855. Nor at Riobamba
Quito, in 1907, where 10000 per.
ished; nor in Sicily, where 10000 I;
nor yet in Asia Minor and Syria,
where 100000 perished, can you
find any present traces of these
dread disasters. "Time, the uni.
versal healer" has repaired and
restored all their olden features
of landscapes. But here, still
stands our Reel Foot Lake with
its neighboring sunk land in per.
petual memento of that most awful
breaking and shaking of the crust
ofthe earth. Was not this great.
er earthquake than those above
nameds If we only suppose that,
instead of no people at the place,
those vast populations of Lisbon,
etc, had been dwellers in 1911 on
and around Reel Foot Lake, then
this socalled New Madrid event
would have become the most awful
historic tragedy Of all ages. IL is
clear enough that the upheaval
which effected such a movement OF
the wide and deep strata Of the
globe must have fractured 1t in
radial lines from that center of the
internal Tor infernaD force. And
so it did. Of course, In o popula.
tion so sparse and so unintelllgent
as then dwelt in the Western
county, it is impossible to learn the
exact truth as to the comparative
force Of the movement along these
different lines. But that this vic.
lent movement extended upon va.
rious radial lines las up the Arkan-
sas river, etc. is centain. And of
these lines of disturbance, it is
also most certain, that the largest
and most violent one was that one,
which passed to the northeast
For, | chance to remember, more
than a half century ago to have
heard 1t said, in that very region
too, that Volney, the celebrated
French traveller and philosopher,
had declared that the chief line of
this New Madrid earthquake must
have passed through the northern
part Of Dark county, Ohio. When,
or where, Volney wrote this scien.
tiffc surmise, cannot gness. But,
! also remember nearly as long
ago, to have read in DR.. Drake's
"Picture of Cincinnati,D a like
statement, viz: that this earth.
quake was most distinguished tor
its violence along the same line,
through the northwest corner of
Ohio to Lake Erie. Moreover,
the brick houses of Col. Robert
Patterson at Rubicon, near Day.
ton. and OF James Nisbet near
West Alexandria in Preble county,
Ohio, were cracked by 1t from top
to bottom.
There were then probably not
half dozen brick houses north of
the Ohio river, in our territory,
and inasmuch as brick or stone
edifces are amongst human works,
our only recorders of such events,
we are compelled to use their
testimony wherever we may find
it. Humbolt, by the way, cites
"Drake's National and Statistical
Views of Cincinnati,n PIP. 232.23S,
together with Mitchelps History.
l have not seen the volume of
Drakc's pamphlet | should call it)
for over forty years, but | we'll re
member the title of my dear old
friends work as being the "pic.
ture Of CINCINNATI" and think
with far less number of pages
than are here cited. A new edi.